Turkey’s settlement project is assault on Syrian soil – northern Syria’s IDPs   

RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The council of the Turkish-occupied region of Tel Abyad in the north of Raqqa governorate condemned on Monday the Turkish plan to build settlements in northern Syria.

The council criticized the Turkish officials’ statements about settling the Syrian refugees in the Turkish-occupied areas, saying that “Turkey is pursuing a policy of demographic change in the region.”

Tel Abyad, a region which is located in the north of Raqqa governorate on the Turkish border, was occupied by Turkey in 2019 following a military operation called “Peace Spring”.

The council called for the residents to stand against “the policy of demographic change which is implemented by Turkey,” explaining that it aims to “create strife among the people of the region.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a project on May 3 to settle one million Syrian refugees in the areas occupied by Turkey and the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, also know as Syrian National Army (SNA), in northern Syria.  

The council called on the international community and human rights organizations to stop the Turkish project of “building illegal settlements, which constitutes a blatant assault on the Syrian lands.”

Reporting by Gulistan Muhammad